Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Organizational Position: Influences On Perceived Organizational Properties, Moshe Sherer

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

People perceive and interpret their work place in different ways that may be related to their hierarchical position in the organization. Workers' attitudes toward their organization can exert a negative effect on their own and other people's feelings and behavior, and have detrimental consequences for the achievements of the organization. The purpose of this study is to examine the perceptionso f organizationalc haracteristicsm aintainedb y three levels of human service organization employees: Managers, supervisors or instructors, and line workers. Respondents in the present sample (n = 135) indicated their perceptions about seven organizational properties. Results reveal that the higher the …

Social Support's Contribution To Reduced Welfare Dependency: Program Outcomes Of Long Term Welfare Recipients, Frank A. Sansone

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Long term welfare recipients participated in a state job training and welfare reform demonstration which provided education,job training, and supportive services via intensive case management. Social support research has focused on stress and physical and psychological health outcomes not welfarejob training and education outcomes. Job training and welfare to work policies and programs have not emphasized providing social supports but the supportive services of transportation and child care. Program outcomes at follow-up included: education and job training certificates, including GEDs with some still studying; jobs; and a 50% reduction in welfare receipt. Results of hierarchical regression analysis suggest a participant's …

Review Of Integrating Knowledge And Practice: The Case Of Social Work And Social Science. Westport, Ct: Praegar Publishers, 1997. David J. Tucker, Charles Garvin And Rosemary Sari (Eds.). Reviewed By Bart Grossman, University Of California, Berkeley., Bart Grossman

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of David J. Tucker, Charles Garvin and Rosemary Sarri (Eds.), Integrating Knowledge and practice: The Case of Social Work and Social Science. Westport, CT: Praegar Publishers, 1997. $65.00 hardcover

Review Of Social Work Practice: A Critical Thinkers Guide. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997. Eileen Gambrill. Reviewed By Bruce Thyer, University Of Georgia., Bruce Thyer

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Eileen Gambrill, Social Work Practice: A Critical Thinker's Guide. New York: Oxford University Press, 1957. $ 59.95 hardcover.

Review Of Issues In International Social Work. Washington, Dc: Nasw Press, 1997. M. C. Hokenstad And James Midgley (Eds.). Reviewed By Nazneen Mayadas, University Of Texas, Arlington., Nazneen Mayadas

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of M. C. Hokenstad and James Midgley (Eds.), Issues in International Social Work. Washington, DC: NASW Press, 1997. $26.95 papercover.

Crisis Communication And Organizational Image: A Study Of The Nasa Challenger And Exxon Valdez, Amy O'Connor

Masters Theses

This study examines the communication activities of two crises: the NASA Challenger and Exxon Valdez and investigates the effect of accommodative and defensive statements attributable to each crisis on organizational image. The survey design queried respondents about organization image with questions about trustworthiness, responsibility and willingness for future involvement with the organization, based on statements provided. Results indicated that when organizations issue accommodative statements during a crisis, participants rated overall organizational image more positively than when defensive statements were given. Research findings are discussed based on the symbolic approach to crisis communication and the investor response theory. The implications for …

The Effects Of Social Skills Training And Reciprocal Social Skills Training With Parent/Guardian(S) On Behavior And Recidivism Of First Time Adjuncted Youth, Kathleen A. Bailey

Dissertations

This research investigates the effect of social skills training on 46 first-time adjudicated males, ages 13 through 15 and placed on traditional probation. The independent variable was the type of group. Three types of groups were conducted: Group I (youth who received social skills training with their parents or guardians), Group II (youth who received social skills training without parents’ or guardians’ participation), and Group III (a control group of youth who did not receive social skills training). The dependent variable was the Jesness Inventory scales and subscales scores, and the type of offenses (status, misdemeanor, and felony). The research …

Sexual Politics And Subversion: Feminist Utopia As Praxis, Jennifer Sue Boyers

Dissertations

Literary studies meets up with sociology as feminist utopian fiction Is examined for what sociologist Dorothy Smith (1990) labels normal narrative and counter-narrative articulations of gendered structures of power. The method of analytical Induction Is used both In the choosing of the four novels for study and the resulting textual analysis. Ursula Le Guln's The dispossessed (1974), Marge Plercy's Woman on the edge of time (1976), Suzy McKee Chamas's Motherllnes (1978), and Sally Miller Gearhart's The wandereround (1979) are examined for their constructions of dystopian normal narratives, as well as for their reconstructions of subversive utopian counter-narratives, both articulating gendered …

Temporary Employment: The Spanish Experience, Catalina Amuedo-Dorantes

Dissertations

In an effort to promote employment flexibility and reduce the unemployment rate, Spanish authorities deregulated temporary employment in the early 1980s. Nonetheless, the deregulation of temporary employment took place at the margin, favoring the development of a dual labor market in which temporary workers constituted a second class of workers involuntarily employed and enduring limited advancement opportunities.

Using data from the Spanish labor force survey, Spanish temporary employment and job transitions into and out of temporary employment are examined. The study first evaluates the incidence of Spanish temporary employment and its involuntary and demand-led character. Secondly, the analysis reveals temporary …

An Examination Of Self-Efficacy In Master’S Level Counselor Trainees, Matthew G. Rushlau

Dissertations

This research is an investigation into changes in individuals’ belief of self-efficacy as they advanced through master’s-level counselor training. Differences were examined between reported levels of beliefs of self-efficacy for a group of 30 master’s students involved in counselor practicum training and 31 master’s students involved in basic counseling coursework. Participants completed the Counselor Self-Estimate Inventory (COSE) (Larson et al., 1992) at the beginning and end of an academic semester. Data generated by the COSE included an overall score on beliefs of counselor self-efficacy along with five subscale scores of various aspects of counseling, consisting of Micro-Skills, Process, Difficult Client …

The Impact Of Women' S Traditional Caregiving Roles On Their Paid Labor Force Participation Throughout Their Lifecourse, Paulina X. Ruf

Dissertations

Since women are the majority of caregivers to older and/or disabled relatives, the increasing number of women in the labor force has meant that more caregivers are also employed. In an effort to expand our understanding of the perils and benefits of women's caregiving roles, the present study examines the impact of women's traditional caregiving roles on their paid labor force participation throughout their lives. This qualitative study involved semistructured, in-depth interviews with sixteen women (i.e., six in their 50s, four in their 60s, and six women in their 70s), to answer the question, "how do family caregiving roles cumulatively …

Max Horkheimer’S Critical Theory Of Religion:The Meaning Of Religion In The Struggle For Human Emancipation, Michael R. Ott

Dissertations

Over the past thirty years much has been written about the critical theory of society that was produced by a small group of left-wing Hegelians in the Institute of Social Research in Frankfurt am Main, Germany and in the United States. However, except for the pioneering work of Rudolf Siebert, little has been written about the critical theory of religion as a fundamental and dynamic element of the entire critical theory’s struggle for human emancipation. This study seeks to make a contribution in the development of the critical theory of religion as a corrective to the one-sided, positivistic development of …

Black Women Build Community: An Examination Of The Radcliffe Black Women Oral History Project, Dawn Michelle Hinton

Dissertations

This study investigated the unique position of Black women in the creation of community. Narratives from the Radcliffe Black Women Oral History Project were the source of information used for this work. These 20 oral narratives were collected between 1978 and 1982 by the Schlesinger Library. The women studied were involved in various community activities and represent Black women from various social classes and geographical locations. An in-depth reading of each of the narratives identified three themes: life-informing work, community-building, and religion. The theme of life-informing work was identified because the work and community involvement of the narrators had a …

Loss Of The Lifelong Partner: Implications For Social Adaptation, Anora Ackerson Grinwis

Dissertations

The death of a partner has long been recognized for its ability to alter the lifestyle of the survivor. This life event can be even more significant for older adults who may be facing loss in several areas of their lives simultaneously. The focus of this qualitative study is on how older adults socially reconstruct their lives following a partner's death. The social construction of reality (Berger and Luckmann, 1966) guides design and analysis. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 29 individuals following the death of a lifelong partner, described as a relationship of 45 or more years. Participants had been …

Resource Colonialism And Native Resistance: The Mining Wars In Wisconsin, Linda Marie Robyn

Dissertations

In recent years powerful multinational mining corporations have attempted to mine various minerals found on Indian lands in the northern region of Wisconsin. These lands are currently protected from corporate incursion by treaties between the Chippewa people and the United States government. The Chippewa are using the treaties as an obstacle to corporate access to their lands and to protect their lands from the environmental devastation that will occur from proposed mining ventures.

This case study utilizes a power-reflexive method to analyze the power of the state to control rich mineral resources known to be on reservation lands. Under examination …

The Impact Of Social, Political, And Economic Forces On Enviromental Protection Efforts, Jung Sam Park

Dissertations

The researcher's purpose in this study was to determine whether there was a relationship between environmental protection efforts (the dependent variable) and social, political. and economical forces (the independent variables), and to suggest strategies for the improvement and promotion of environmental protection efforts.

Data on 10 environment-related indicators (variables) were collected from 191 countries by using published statistical information on their social. political. economical, and environmental conditions. These indicators were analyzed to determine which indicators had the most powerful relationship to environmental protection efforts.

Descriptive statistics, bivariate regression analysis, bivariate correlation coefficient analysis, multiple regression analysis, multivariate correlation coefficient analysis. …

Panther Stories: A Gendered Analysis Of The Autobiographies Of Former Black Panther Members, Monica Marie White

Dissertations

Literature on the influences and contributions of women within the Black Panther Party has been scant. Much of the documentation is written by and is about males. This dissertation uses the autobiographies of former Black Panther members, both male and female, to explore their experiences while in the organization. Each author's political ideology and his/her perceptions of sexism and racism and distinctions in the writing style of men and women are considered. Seven single-authored autobiographies written by former Panther members were analyzed both individually and comparatively. There were similarities among all members of the group, such as their support of …

A Few Contributions Of Economic Theory To Social Welfare Policy Analysis, Michael A. Lewis

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The National Association of Social Workers' (NAS W) code of ethics states that social workers have a professional obligation to advocate for social policies that promote the general welfare (NASW, 1996). Presumably, in an effort to provide social workers with the analytical tools that would allow them to do so, schools of social work typically require students to do course work in the area of social welfare policy. Although these courses provide students with valuable information, it is my view that they tend to be limited in one important respect. They usually do not contain a great deal of content …

Re-Cycling The Menstrual Cycle: A Multidisciplinary Reinterpretation Of Menstruation, Heather H. Rea

Masters Theses

This thesis offers a reinterpretation of the human female menstrual cycle that understands the process as positive, functional, and practical experience. Standard western definitions and understandings of menstruation use negative terminology and focus on menstrual blood as an indicator of failed conception. This view contributes significantly to the negative perception women have of menstruation in general, their own menstrual cycles, and ultimately of their femaleness. This fundamental, physiological process that symbolizes femaleness, the menstrual cycle, has been defined both, bio-medically and culturally, as a negative experience. I propose a reconceptualization of the menstrual cycle that is not only a tool …

Spatial And Temporal Variations Of Cloud-To-Ground Lightning In Southern Michigan, Michael A. Crimmins

Masters Theses

Lightning has a profound impact on many aspects of modern day society. Understanding its temporal and spatial distributions is fundamental in learning to coexist with its destructive power. This study surveyed the spatial and temporal distribution of cloud-to-ground lightning over southern Michigan using data provided by the Detroit Edison Company. Flash density and 'lightning day' maps were produced for every year of the 1985 to 1995 study period and then averaged to determine long term trends. A temporal analysis determined the distribution of lightning from the inter-annual down to the diurnal scale.

The spatial analysis indicates both deficiencies in the …

Thomas Jefferson And The United States Constitution: A Comparative Study Of Jefferson As Maturing Political Thinker To Jefferson The Political Operative, Thomas A. Parker

Masters Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to use historical, qualitative, and comparative methods of research in studying the life of Thomas Jefferson, his views on governance, and his impact on the highest law of our land, the United States Constitution. Thomas Jefferson's constitutional thoughts and theories evolved first as a maturing political thinker and later as a political operative on the state, national and international stage. His beliefs were shaped by many factors including Jefferson's own principles and character, his scholarship via learned men and life experiences, American and overseas events in and out of his control, titles and offices …

Emotional And Embodied Knowledge: Implications For Critical Practice, Colin Peile

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Within the practice orientation of the Critical Social Work tradition there has been a dominance of conceptual and rational processes. This has lead to afailure to acknowledge the importance of bodily and emotive knowledge for practice theory. This paper offers a rudimentary and tentative epistemology which recognizes the importance of the body, emotions, ideas and their context. These ideas invite a reconsideration of critical theories of change.

Termination: Extending The Concept For Macro Social Work Practice, Marcia P. Harrigan, David P. Fauri, F. Ellen Netting

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article identifies the ways in which macro practitioners manage and respond to termination issues in organization and community arenas. To conceptualize and partialize problems related to termination, the authors developed a typology in which the purposes, roles, and tasks related to macro termination situations are identified and grouped by three levels of practice: The Technical; The Managerial; and The Institutional. Within each part of the typology the needs are articulated, objectives of the macro practitioner identified, and the role of the practitioner explicated. Several exemplars and an integrating vignette illustrate termination concerns, dilemmas, and the complexity of macro practice …

Institutional Ethnography: Studying Institutions From The Margins, Brian J. O'Neill

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

As new approaches to the development of knowledge emerge in the social sciences, there is a need to judge their appropriateness for use in social work research. Using criteria for assessing the goodness of fit between theories and social work values, this article evaluates institutional ethnography, a strategyfor studying institutions which is based on feminist standpoint theory. The author holds that the use of institutional ethnography in social work research is congruent with social work principles and effective in producing knowledge which can inform practice. Discussion of a study of Canadian social work education from the standpoint of gay men …

Review Of Confidentiality And Privacy In Social Work: A Guide To The Law For Practitioners And Students. New York: The Free Press, 1998. Donald T. Dickinson. Reviewed By Margaret Severson, University Of Kansas., Margaret Severson

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Donald T. Dickson, Confidentiality and Privacy in Social Work: A Guide to the Law for Practitioners and Students. New York: The Free Press, 1998. $ 34.95 hardcover.

Enterprise And The Welfare State. Martin Rein And Eskil Wadensjo

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Martin Rein and Eskil Wadensjo, Enterprise and the Welfare State. Williston, VT: Edward Elgar Publishing, 1997. $ 95.00 hardcover.

Planning For Community Crisis: A Marketing Approach, Amnon Boehm

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The article is based on an examination of a nominal group procedure of two welfare agencies located on the confrontation line between Lebanon and Israel, which implemented a marketing approach in planning intervention for the population for times of community crisis. The agencies are located at a place that was attacked and suffered personal and property loss particularly by short range missiles.

In the nominal group procedure, five elements of the marketing approach (target market, service mix, place and distribution, price, and promotion) were implemented, for four phases of community crisis (warning, shock, organizing, and changing). The results show that …

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 25, No. 4 (December 1998)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• ORGANIZATIONAL POSITION: INFLUENCES ON PERCEIVED ORGANIZATIONAL PROPERTIES - Moshe Sherer
• PLANNING FOR COMMUNITY CRISIS: A MARKETING APPROACH - Amnon Boehm
• EMOTIONAL AND EMBODIED KNOWLEDGE: IMPLICATIONS FOR CRITICAL PRACTICE - Colin Peile
• TERMINATION: EXTENDING THE CONCEPT FOR MACRO SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE - Marcia P. Harrigan, David P. Fauri, and F. Ellen Netting
• THE DEFINITION OF FATHERHOOD: IN THE WORDS OF NEVER-MARRIED AFRICAN AMERICAN CUSTODIAL MOTHERS AND THE NON-CUSTODIAL FATHERS OF THEIR CHILDREN - Jennifer F. Hamer
• SOCIAL SUPPORT'S CONTRIBUTION TO REDUCED WELFARE DEPENDENCY: PROGRAM OUTCOMES OF LONG TERM WELFARE RECIPIENTS - Frank A. Sansone
• INSTITUTIONAL ETHNOGRAPHY: STUDYING INSTITUTIONS …

The Definition Of Fatherhood: In The Words Of Never-Married African American Custodial Mothers And The Noncustodial Fathers Of Their Children, Jennifer F. Hamer

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This qualitative study explores the meaning of fatherhood from the perspective of never-married parents. Specifically, the study describes: how African American custodial mothers perceive the roles and responsibilities of their children's fathers; the extent to which these mothers' perceptions and definitions of noncustodial fatherhood are consistent with those of noncustodial fathers and the dominant cultural "ideal"; and what mothers do to enhance men's paternal participation. A convenience sample of 25 never-married,f ormer couples was drawn from the predominantlyA frican American population of a mid-sized Midwestern city. Data was collected via in-depth interviews with each individual respondent. The findings suggest that …

A Qualitative Cum Quantitative Approach To Construct Definition In A Minority Population: Reasons For Divorce Among Israeli Arab Women, Rivka Savaya, Orna Cohenn

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The paper describes the combined use of qualitative and quantitative methods to provide a preliminary definition of the construct, the reasons for divorce among Israeli Arab women. The qualitative methods consisted of personal in terviews and a focus group, the quantitative method of Trochim's concept mapping. The combined approach was adopted in the wake of skepticism about the ability of research instruments developed in the West to study Western populations to provide valid and reliable assessments of non-Western groups. A culturally sensitive definition of the construct was sought as a first step in the design of a culturally sensitive research …